BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | Birmingham Six's McIlkenny dies Birmingham Six's McIlkenny dies Richard McIlkenny was born in Belfast Richard McIlkenny, one of the Birmingham Six wrongly imprisoned for IRA bombings in the 1970s has died in a Dublin hospital. Born in Belfast, Mr McIlkenny, who was aged 73, was released 15 years ago. Six Irishmen resident in Birmingham were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975 for pub bombings in the city which killed 21 people. They served 16 years. Despite pleas that the confessions had been obtained through beatings, they were not freed until March 1991. The six were Paddy Hill, Billy Power, Mr McIlkenny, Hugh Callaghan, Gerry Hunter and John Walker. Paddy Hill said he would miss his friend. "I used to live beside him in Birmingham. We used to drink together. I'm so sad about it. He was always helpful to people and quite religious," Mr Hill said. "He worked a lot with the nuns in Wormwood Scrubs prison.

He was highly regarded in the jail, not only by the prisoners, but also by the prison staff." Richard McIlkenny was a factory worker in towns in the north of England and was living in Birmingham when he was detained along with friends by Special Branch detectives on 21 November 1974 after two pubs in the city were bombed. We've waited a long time for this - 16 years because of hypocrisy and brutality - but every dog has its day and we're going to have ours Richard McIlkenny Flashback: Six released He was interrogated by police for three days until he signed a false confession admitting to bombing the pubs in which 21 people died and 162 were injured. On 24 November, 1974, Mr McIlkenny appeared in court along with Patrick Hill, Gerry Hunter, Hugh Callaghan, Billy Power and Johnny Walker, and was remanded into custody. During their trial the men claimed their confessions had been beaten out of them, but the court did not believe them. In August 1975 the Birmingham Six were sentenced to life in prison on the basis of their false confessions.

They were denied leave to appeal and forced to wait until 1987, when, in the light of new evidence, their case was referred to the Court of Appeal before being rejected. Mass public protests in Ireland and in England kept their case alive until August 1990, when forensic investigations showed their confessions had been tampered with. The following year, in March 1991, their convictions were quashed, and they were released after 16 years in jail onto the streets outside the Old Bailey in London. Richard McIlkenny was first to speak. "It's good to see you all," he said. "We've waited a long time for this - 16 years because of hypocrisy and brutality. But every dog has its day and we're going to have ours." Following his release Mr McIlkenny settled near Dublin. Mr McIlkenny is survived by his wife Kathleen, his daughters and his only son, who were all at his bedside on Sunday in the James Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown when he died. It is understood he had been battling cancer for some time.

Birmingham Six: 35 years on from injustice | The Independent Crime Birmingham Six: 35 years on from injustice Monday 23 November 2009 09:50 BST Click to follow The Independent Online As blows rained down on Johnny Walker's stomach during a brutal beating at the hands of the police, he realised that in saying almost nothing, he had still said too much. "They were beating me up and my shirt came open and I told them I had stomach ulcers, so all the punches went down there... I should have shut my big mouth," he says, his voice quavering. Even now – 35 years after he was wrongly convicted of the Birmingham pub bombings – the trauma he endured has left raw mental scars to go with the physical marks left by torture and beatings at the hands of the police and prison officers. "I still got parts of my body that is not right... they knocked all my teeth out...

I'll carry these scars to my grave." Walker was one of six men – with Richard McIlkenny, Paddy Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Billy Power and Gerry Hunter – wrongly jailed for killing 21 people and injuring 182 others 35 years ago on 21 November 1974. Once the police and prison guards got their hands on him, they inflicted violent vengeance before the courts could even begin to consider justice. He shakes at the memory of what happened to him: "I'm paying the price now [for] what they done to me..." According to the doctor who visited him all those years ago, his body was covered in cuts and bruises. But physical trauma paled compared to the mental assault. In a statement made to his solicitors at the time, he told of becoming "completely deranged" as a result of the repeated beatings and psychological torture of mock executions, where he was made to believe he would be shot in the head. Then he spent more than 16 years in prison in what was later described as one of "the greatest disasters to have shaken British justice in my time" by the late Lord Devlin, a former law lord and Lord Justice of the Court of Appeal.

It cost Walker his wife, children, home, health, almost his sanity. Speaking at his home in a remote corner of Donegal, where the 74-year-old lives with his second wife, Paivi, 50, and son Martti, 15, he said: "I can remember it all from yesterday. I can tell you, from the day it happened, what happened that day, to the day I die. It's planted in your mind – you never forget that." He added: "I'm standing here shaking like a leaf, so I am, oh aye, yes... it brings it all back. That's why I try and keep it out. I don't like talking about it too much, it all comes back to you... " He slumps, bowed under the weight of every one of his 74 years. "... just like yesterday." When, finally, he was freed, he withdrew from mankind and stayed withdrawn. He lives a quiet life in a tiny village on the north-west coast of Ireland. "I don't trust anybody any more. It's a sad thing to say.

When you meet people for the first time, you're always a wee bit wary about them." The inside of his immaculate three-bed house – down the end of a dirt track overlooking the sea – gives no clue to his past. The nearest neighbour is a couple of minutes' walk away. It is an isolated but beautiful setting, underpinned by calm and routine. Every morning, he takes his labrador cross, Mukka, for a walk along the beach before returning to his home. But its walls and the idyllic surroundings are not enough to keep out savage, marauding memories. Terrifying flashbacks come regularly. He doesn't want to give details: "You go to bed, you have these dreams. You wake up and you're covered in sweat." Recalling this prompts bitterness at what was done to him and the insult added to injury when not a single police or prison officer was punished. He has spent years escaping the notoriety of being one of the Birmingham Six. The only other member of the six he keeps in touch with is Gerry Hunter, and it has been 18 years since he last gave an interview to a national newspaper. "I haven't spoken to anybody for years. This is my last interview...

as we say, enough is enough. I've got to get on with life. I'm getting old now. "I just want to walk into the pub, just be an individual. Go and have a drink with me friends and not people pointing you out and talking about you... I mean I think it would have stopped after all these years, but it's still there." He was 39 and married with seven children when he was arrested on his way to the funeral of an IRA member, James McDade, on the night of the bombings. That the six were Irish and also knew McDade seemed to be all the evidence the police and courts needed. They were convicted in 1975 and sentenced to life. By the time he finally got out, his family were strangers to him: he was divorced from his wife, Theresa, less than a year after being freed. "It was sad; two strangers living under the same roof." He lost contact with most of his children – the worst thing of all, he says. His youngest daughter, Joanna, was two when he went to jail.

He emerged to find her a grown woman: "I had seven children, but I didn't know them." It was hard to adjust: "You would sit in a conversation where everybody's laughing and joking, and you wouldn't know what they were talking about... you're not involved in it, you're not a part of the family." He spent a year and a half drinking: at one point getting through two bottles of vodka a day. "If I was drunk, the whole world passed me by. I couldn't handle life as I wasn't part of that life." Things began spiralling out of control. He told his sister he needed help. "They brought me down here to Donegal, in a wee house by the beach, kept me out of the pubs. Then, after six months, I met this second lady of mine, my wife now. She come over from Finland and looked after me." That was 16 years ago. These days "it all depends how you wake up in the morning... I'm like an Aborigine, I go walkabout for a couple of days in a world of my own sometimes... I'm not the nicest person sometimes to live with, but that's not my fault; I can't help it.

"Even now, talking about it, I do get a wee bit wired up... but I have got to bring it out now and again to get it out of my system. "We're getting older now and we're getting sentimental. We look back at life and what we've lost... It's hard enough to be locked away when you've done something... but if you've done nothing it's very, very hard." The case is an indelible black mark on the British judicial system: confessions obtained by systematic beatings; statements doctored. The convictions were finally quashed on appeal in 1991, but they had to wait another decade before getting compensation. Incredibly, money was deducted for their stay in prison. No one has been brought to justice for the bombings and case will not be reopened "in a million years", he says: "There's too much scandal.

All I can say is that we never done it, the police know who done it – they knew from day one who done it, and still they put me in prison." He admits "hatred" for the British authorities: "Everybody's a terrorist as far as they're concerned now," he adds, referring to the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes. "If you're a coloured chap and you're on a train and you're carrying a bag, it's 'oh, like watch him, he's a terrorist'... it's awful. "They all said what happened to us would never happen again... but the Pakistanis, the Indians, these different nationalities, they're getting the backlash now. I don't think there's been much change, to be honest." The very notion of an apology from the Government fires him up further: "There's no chance the British government is going to apologise to six Irish men, no chance! The justice we got was: after 16 and a half years they let us out of prison. They thought they were doing us a good turn. I don't want their apology. I know I was right and they were wrong... that does me.

We've got to bury the hatchet one day, and I think it is buried after tonight." His voice is quiet: "What happened to us should never happen again. We pray it never happens to anybody." THE OTHER CONVICTED MEN Hugh Callaghan, now 79 Lives in north London. Still married to his wife, Eileen, although they no longer live together. His autobiography, Cruel Fate, was published in 1994. Gerry Hunter, 64 Now lives on the Algarve in Portugal. Has described how he has moved on: "I learned in prison that hatred and bitterness will only destroy you." Billy Power, 64 Regularly campaigns on miscarriage of justice cases. Had problems bonding with his children after his release from prison. Lives in east London. Paddy Hill, 64 Remarried and lives in Scotland with his wife and three step-children. He runs the Miscarriages of Justice Organisation, which he co-founded in 1990. Richard McIlkenny, dec Said on his release from prison: "We waited a long time for this...

But every dog has his day and we will have ours." Died, aged 72, from cancer in 2006. * Source: The Belfast Telegraph RTÉ Archives | War and Conflict | Birmingham Six Return To Dublin War and Conflict Paddy Hill, Gerry Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, Hugh Callaghan, Johnny Walker and Billy Power, also known as The Birmingham Six, were welcomed back to Dublin for a weekend of celebrations and ceremonies to mark their freedom. On 14 March 1991 the Birmingham Six were released after sixteen years in prison. Two months later the six men returned to a reception in Dublin city centre. The men arrived by open top double-decker bus as The Dubliners entertained the crowd on O'Connell Street. Addressing the crowd they thanked all those who worked towards securing their release but were critical of the Irish government's attitude in dealing with their case. Gerry Hunter tells the crowd that while he was in Boston he received a bottle of champagne to his hotel room from Taoiseach Charles Haughey but refused to drink it. This view is reinforced by Paddy Hill who states that the Irish government do not want to help people simply because they are ashamed of being Irish.

Johnny Walker thanks everyone who has supported their cause over the years. A civic reception was held in the Oak Room of the Mansion House hosted by the Lord Mayor Michael Donnelly. At the ceremony each of the men were presented with a Galway crystal decanter on behalf of the people of Dublin. An RTÉ News report by Una O'Hagan broadcast on 18 May 1991. Keywords: Follow the Archives for more daily updates on features, profiles and exhibitions Explore RTÉ Hugh Callaghan – Stair na hÉireann – History of Ireland Instagram Tag: Hugh Callaghan 1991 – The Birmingham Six are released from jail after their convictions for the murder of 21 people in two pubs are quashed by the Court of Appeal. 14/03/2016.Reading time 1 minute. Birmingham Six are freed after 16 years in jail. The six innocent men – Paddy Joe Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter, Billy Power and Johnny Walker had been found guilty of placing bombs in Birmingham pubs in 1974 that killed 21 people and injured more than 100.

At a time when public fury […] 1974 – Bombs planted by the Provisional IRA devastate two central Birmingham pubs, killing 21 people and injuring over 180. 21/11/2015.Reading time 4 minutes. Two bombs set by the Provisional IRA devastated pubs in Birmingham cause the deaths of 21 people. The Provisional IRA planted bombs in two pubs: The Mulberry Bush bomb was followed minutes later by a bomb in the nearby Tavern in the Town. The IRA had phoned a warning twelve minutes before the first bomb […] 1991 – The Birmingham Six – Paddy Joe Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter, Billy Power and Johnny Walker – are released from jail after their convictions for the murder of 21 people in two pubs are quashed by the Court of Appeal. 14/03/2015.Reading time 1 minute. Birmingham Six are freed after 16 years in jail.

The six innocent men – Paddy Joe Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter, Billy Power and Johnny Walker had been found guilty of placing bombs in Birmingham pubs in 1974 that killed 21 people and injured more than 100. At a time when public fury […] 1991 – The Birmingham Six – Paddy Joe Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter, Billy Power and Johnny Walker – are released from jail after their convictions for the murder of 21 people in two pubs are quashed by the Court of Appeal. 14/03/2014.Reading time 1 minute. Birmingham Six are freed after 16 years in jail. The six innocent men – Paddy Joe Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter, Billy Power and Johnny Walker had been found guilty of placing bombs in Birmingham pubs in 1974 that killed 21 people and injured more than 100. At a time when public fury […] Today in Irish History – 14th March: 14/03/2014.Reading time 4 minutes.

1705 – An English act permits direct export of Irish linen to American colonies. 1732 – Birth of Sackville Hamilton, politician and civil servant. 1738 – John Beresford, unionist politician, is born in Cork. 1822 – Richard Boyle, civil engineer, is born in Dublin. 1894 – William Earle “Moley” Molesworth, WWI Ace, is born. 1902 […] 1991 – Birmingham Six on verge of freedom. 25/02/2014.Reading time 2 minutes. An announcement by the Director of Public Prosecution, Alan Green, says their convictions can no longer be considered safe and satisfactory. Hugh Callaghan, Patrick Hill, Gerard Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker were all jailed in 1975 for an IRA attack on two pubs in Birmingham in November 1974 in which 21 people […] On this day 24 years ago, the Birmingham Six were released On this day 24 years ago, the Birmingham Six were released The men spent 16 years in prison – for a crime they didn’t commit.

Mar 14th 2015, 8:45 AM 19,481 Views 103 Comments Share1109 Tweet295 Email6 ON 14 MARCH 1991, the Birmingham Six were released from prison, after their convictions for the murder of 21 people were quashed by the UK Court of Appeal. Paddy Joe Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter, Billy Power and Johnny Walker were arrested in 1974 and charged in 1975. From left/top: Patrick Hill, Hugh Callaghan, John Walker, Richard McIlkenny, Gerard Hunter and William Power. Source: PA Archive/Press Association Images They had left Birmingham shortly before IRA-planted bombs exploded in two city centre pubs - the Mulberry Bush and Tavern in the Town – on 21 November 1974, at about 8.17pm and 8.27pm respectively. The aftermath of one of the bombs. Source: PA Archive/Press Association Images Telephone warnings were sent to local newspapers a few minutes beforehand, but the venues were not evacuated in time.

Friends comfort a woman outside Victoria Law Courts in Birmingham, on 28 November 1974. She shouted 'You killed my son, you bastard' as the accused were driven away. Source: PA Archive/Press Association Images A third bomb was found later that night but it failed to detonate. As well as the 21 fatalities, 182 people were injured. Each of the six men were given a life sentence. Three other men were charged with conspiracy. The six men claimed that police forced them to sign confessions after physical and psychological torture. In January 1987, their first appeal was rejected. Journalist and Labour MP Chris Mullin helped the men prove their innocence. Source: PA Archive/Press Association Images Source: SEAN DEMPSEY/PA Images Speaking shortly after their release, Paddy Hill told reporters : For 16-and-a-half years we have been used as political scapegoats … The police told us from the start they knew we hadn’t done it. They didn’t care who had done it. Source: PA Archive/Press Association Images Between them, the men – five of whom were Catholics from Belfast – spent 96 years behind bars.

Each of them received compensation ranging from £840,000 to £1.2 million several years after their release. The trial is considered one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history. Three of men appeared on the Late Late Show in 1991 to discuss what happened to them: Video ( BBC ON THIS DAY | 14 | 1991: Birmingham Six freed after 16 years About This Site | Text Only 1991: Birmingham Six freed after 16 years The Birmingham Six have walked free from jail after their convictions for the murder of 21 people in two pubs were quashed by the Court of Appeal. Paddy Joe Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter, Billy Power and Johnny Walker, who between them have served 96 years for a crime they did not commit, were released onto the streets outside the Old Bailey in London at 1605 GMT. The police told us from the start they knew we hadn't done it Paddy Hill They were greeted by cheering crowds, as they punched their fists in the air and waved celebrating their first taste of freedom. Richard McIlkenny was first to speak.

"It's good to see you all," he said. "We've waited a long time for this - 16 years because of hypocrisy and brutality. But every dog has its day and we're going to have ours." Paddy Hill was next to step up to the microphone. "For 16 and a half years we have been used as political scapegoats," he said. "The police told us from the start they knew we hadn't done it. They didn't care who had done it." The six were arrested in 1974. They had left Birmingham shortly before the bombs exploded in two city centre pubs in the bloodiest ever IRA attack. The Mulberry Bush pub and the Tavern were both destroyed in the blasts. Twenty-one people were killed, more than 160 injured. The men claimed in court they had confessed only after being beaten by police. But the court did not believe them and so began their long battle for justice. In January 1987, their first appeal was rejected. But the campaign for their release gathered pace headed by the Labour MP Chris Mullin. A new inquiry by Devon and Cornwall Police into the original inquiry uncovered irregularities in the police case against the Six.

It paved the way for today's appeal. New scientific tests show statements made by the Birmingham Six were altered at a later date. Scientists also admitted in court that forensic tests which were originally said to confirm two of the six had been handling explosives could have produced the same results from handling cigarettes. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Derry, Edward Daly, has been one of the men's supporters. He said: "It was a moment so many of us have waited so long for and I think generated in all of us a tremendous sense of excitement, relief and joy." A Royal Commission has been set up to investigate this and other recent miscarriages of justice. It is expected to report within two years. Raymond Murray – Stair na hÉireann – History of Ireland Instagram Tag: Raymond Murray 1991 – The Birmingham Six are released from jail after their convictions for the murder of 21 people in two pubs are quashed by the Court of Appeal. 14/03/2016.Reading time 1 minute. Birmingham Six are freed after 16 years in jail.

The six innocent men – Paddy Joe Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter, Billy Power and Johnny Walker had been found guilty of placing bombs in Birmingham pubs in 1974 that killed 21 people and injured more than 100. At a time when public fury […] 1991 – Birmingham Six on verge of freedom. 25/02/2014.Reading time 2 minutes. An announcement by the Director of Public Prosecution, Alan Green, says their convictions can no longer be considered safe and satisfactory. Hugh Callaghan, Patrick Hill, Gerard Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker were all jailed in 1975 for an IRA attack on two pubs in Birmingham in November 1974 in which 21 people […] Birmingham Six | British history | Britannica.com British history THIS IS A DIRECTORY PAGE. Britannica does not currently have an article on this topic. Learn about this topic in these articles: in Birmingham pub bombing ...six Irish immigrants had been arrested and charged with the bombings.

Hugh Callaghan, Patrick Hill, Gerry Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, Billy Power, and Johnny Walker became known as the “ Birmingham Six.” They were convicted in August 1975 and sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1991, after a long campaign had been conducted on their behalf, an appeals court overturned all six... The Birmingham Six – Stair na hÉireann – History of Ireland Instagram Tag: The Birmingham Six 1989 – After serving 15 years in prison, the “Guildford Four”: Gerard ‘Gerry’ Conlon, Patrick ‘Paddy’ Armstrong, Carole Richardson and Paul Hill are released in what is considered to be one of the biggest-ever miscarriages of justice in Britain. 19/10/2016.Reading time 2 minutes. On 19 October 1989, Gerry Conlon stormed out of the Old Bailey in London, with his sisters Bridie and Ann, and delivered an extraordinary, impromptu speech that has become iconic in recent Irish history: “I’ve been in prison 15 years, for something I didn’t do. Something I didn’t know anything about.

I’m a totally innocent […] 1991 – The Birmingham Six are released from jail after their convictions for the murder of 21 people in two pubs are quashed by the Court of Appeal. 14/03/2016.Reading time 1 minute. Birmingham Six are freed after 16 years in jail. The six innocent men – Paddy Joe Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter, Billy Power and Johnny Walker had been found guilty of placing bombs in Birmingham pubs in 1974 that killed 21 people and injured more than 100. At a time when public fury […] 1989 – After serving 15 years in prison, the “Guildford Four”: Gerard ‘Gerry’ Conlon, Patrick ‘Paddy’ Armstrong, Carole Richardson and Paul Hill are released in what is considered to be one of the biggest-ever miscarriages of justice in Britain. Paul Hill is taken to a Belfast prison where he was serving time for murder; he was also expected to be released. 19/10/2015.Reading time 3 minutes.

On 19 October 1989, Gerry Conlon stormed out of the Old Bailey in London, with his sisters Bridie and Ann, and delivered an extraordinary, impromptu speech that has become iconic in recent Irish history: “I’ve been in prison 15 years, for something I didn’t do. Something I didn’t know anything about. I’m a totally innocent […] 1991 – The Birmingham Six – Paddy Joe Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter, Billy Power and Johnny Walker – are released from jail after their convictions for the murder of 21 people in two pubs are quashed by the Court of Appeal. 14/03/2015.Reading time 1 minute. Birmingham Six are freed after 16 years in jail. The six innocent men – Paddy Joe Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter, Billy Power and Johnny Walker had been found guilty of placing bombs in Birmingham pubs in 1974 that killed 21 people and injured more than 100.

At a time when public fury […] Today in Irish History – 22 November: 22/11/2014.Reading time 2 minutes. 1773 – Lord John Beresford, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of all Ireland, is born in Dublin. 1830 – Justin McCarthy, politician, novelist and historian, is born in Cork. 1869 – Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa, Fenian, contests and wins a Tipperary by-election in abstentia, but is declared ineligible as a convicted felon. 1912 – Birth in […] 1991 – The Birmingham Six – Paddy Joe Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter, Billy Power and Johnny Walker – are released from jail after their convictions for the murder of 21 people in two pubs are quashed by the Court of Appeal. 14/03/2014.Reading time 1 minute. Birmingham Six are freed after 16 years in jail.

The six innocent men – Paddy Joe Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter, Billy Power and Johnny Walker had been found guilty of placing bombs in Birmingham pubs in 1974 that killed 21 people and injured more than 100. At a time when public fury […] From The Archives: Bombings sparked nightmare for Birmingham Six.. - Birmingham Mail News From The Archives: Bombings sparked nightmare for Birmingham Six.. Over the past few weeks, Crime Files has examined some of the worst miscarriages of justice in the history of the West Midlands. For the final part of the series, Mail Crime Correspondent MARK COWAN looks at the case described by the late Lord Devlin as the “greatest disasters to have shaken British justice in my time” – the wrongful convictions of the Birmingham Six. Share Johnny Walker, Paddy Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Chris Mullin - who campaigned for the release of the Birmingham Six - Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter and Billy Power Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing!

Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email Over the past few weeks, Crime Files has examined some of the worst miscarriages of justice in the history of the West Midlands. For the final part of the series, Mail Crime Correspondent MARK COWAN looks at the case described by the late Lord Devlin as the “greatest disasters to have shaken British justice in my time” – the wrongful convictions of the Birmingham Six. --------------- IT WAS a week after the IRA had threatened to bring its ‘war’ to England. At 8.11pm on Thursday November 21, a man with an Irish accent telephoned The Birmingham Post and Mail warning of a bomb planted in the Rotunda and the tax office in New Street. The warning was not only inaccurate about the location but left no time to react. Just a few minutes later, two large explosions ripped apart The Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town, sending the city into chaos. There was a teenager on her first date, an under-age drinker sneaking a sip of brown and bitter, and a father nipping into his local for a packet of cigarettes. There was the girl looking forward to her 21st birthday party and the engaged couple mapping out their forthcoming wedding.

Only some would live to tell their stories of that fateful night. The bombings killed 21 people – 11 in the Tavern and ten in the Mulberry Bush – and injured 167 and became the pinnacle of attacks carried out in the Midlands over 14 months. It caused the worst death toll of any bombing in Northern Ireland or Britain, a grim record of carnage overtaken in 1998 when 29 people died in the Northern Ireland town of Omagh. What followed on that night highlighted the best of Birmingham as the public, police and emergency services came to together to rescue the casualties. In the days and months that followed the worst of Birmingham was being played out behind closed doors as six innocent men were being beaten by police – who were desperate to catch those behind the atrocity – and had their statements doctored. But it wasn’t until the March 14, 1991, when the men who had become known as the Birmingham Six – Paddy Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter, Billy Power and Johnny Walker – were freed after their convictions were quashed by the Court of Appeal that their ordeals were accepted by the authorities.

So how did the men end up serving 16 years for a crime they did not commit? Five of the six men, not including Callaghan, were detained at Heysham at 10.45pm on the night of the bombings as they made their way from Birmingham to Belfast. The five were examined by Dr Frank Skuse, from the Home Office Forensic Laboratory, who said that tests showed Power and Hill had been in recent contact with explosives. Hours later police had arrived from Birmingham to take over the investigation. During subsequent interviews officers had extracted confessions. However, there were allegations that the ‘confessions’ were false and had been made during three days when the men were faced with regular beatings. The six men were convicted in August 1975, but they were unwavering in their claims that they were innocent. Over the years, and a number of appeals, their claims began to gain ground and momentum. During one appeal it was argued that some ordinary soaps and detergents could leave nitrates in a bowl which had been cleaned with them and so affected the tests that had been relied upon to show the men had handled explosives.

As a result prosecutors took the view that they could not support the scientific evidence on which the prosecution had been based.Mass public protests in Ireland and England kept their case alive until August 1990, when forensic investigations showed their confessions could also have been tampered with. The police were said to have made contemporaneous notes. But Electrostatic Document Analysis raised questions about that, and were the cause of the reference back by the Home Secretary in 1990. It later emerged that the notes could have been written on as many as four pads. With doubts now cast over the scientific evidence and ‘false’ confessions, the Court of Appeal ruled that the men’s convictions were now no longer safe and quashed them. The six men were greeted by cheering crowds, as they punched their fists in the air and waved celebrating their first taste of freedom. Richard McIlkenny was first to speak. “It’s good to see you all,” he said. “We’ve waited a long time for this – 16 years because of hypocrisy and brutality.

“But every dog has its day and we’re going to have ours.” When Paddy Hill stepped up to the microphone, he added: “For 16 and a half years we have been used as political scapegoats. “The police told us from the start they knew we hadn’t done it. “They didn’t care who had done it.” Unfortunately, the men that emerged were a shadow of those that had been wrongly convicted. And as Paddy Hill pointed out early this year, on the 20th anniversary of their release from prison: “When I look back, getting out 20 years ago, little did I realise I was going from one nightmare to another.” THE TIMELINE * November 21 1974: Birmingham pub bombings leave 21 dead and 162 injured. Six men arrested, five leaving train at Heysham, en route to Ireland. * November 24: Patrick Hill, Hugh Callaghan, John Walker, Richard McIlkenny, Gerard Hunter and Billy Power charged with murder. * August 1975: Six sentenced to life after trial at Lancaster Crown Court. * March 1976: Court of Appeal refuses leave to challenge convictions.

* October 1985: Granada TV’s World in Action questions forensic tests. * January 1987: Home Secretary refers case to Court of Appeal and announces inquiry. * January 1988: Appeal dismissed. * July 1990: Granada TV screens interview with unidentified man who confesses to planting the bombs. * August 29 1990: Home Secretary refers Six case back to appeal on new evidence suggesting police notes had been tampered with. * March 14, 1991: Six freed after 16 years in prison. Home Secretary announces a Royal Commission into the criminal justice system. * March 27: Court of Appeal blames corrupt police and faulty scientific evidence. What became of the men after years behind bars * Paddy Hill, 66: Remarried and lives in Scotland with his wife and three step-children. He runs the Miscarriages of Justice Organisation, which he co-founded in 1990. * Richard McIlkenny: He said on his release from prison – “We waited a long time for this...

But every dog has his day and we will have ours.” Died, aged 72, from cancer in 2006. * Johnny Walker: Would now be 76. Last known living in a remote corner of Donegal, with his second wife and teenage son. * Hugh Callaghan: Would now be now 81. Last known living in north London. His autobiography, Cruel Fate, was published in 1994. * Gerry Hunter: Would now be 66. Last known living on the Algarve in Portugal. Describing how he moved on, he said: “I learned in prison that hatred and bitterness will only destroy you.” * Billy Power: Would also now be 66. Following his release he campaigned on miscarriage of justice cases. Last known living in east London. Like us on Facebook Most Read Most Recent

Question: Who were Billy Power, Patrick Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Gerry Hunter, Richard Mcilkenny, and Johnny Walker
Answer: The Birmingham six